


Faulty

by orphan_account



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Androids, Implied Character Death, M/M, Robots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-04
Updated: 2013-06-04
Packaged: 2017-12-13 23:44:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/830212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Okay so I don't know if I want to put effort into finishing this yet. It feels really weird and I'm terrified people are't going to like it. Also I have no idea how to tag this yet, since there isn't much slash, just sort of existence and set up. Okay. So yeah thank you for even bothering, it would be nice to hear if you like this. Also, my tumblr is bunnybrook if anyone cares</p>
    </blockquote>





	Faulty

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I don't know if I want to put effort into finishing this yet. It feels really weird and I'm terrified people are't going to like it. Also I have no idea how to tag this yet, since there isn't much slash, just sort of existence and set up. Okay. So yeah thank you for even bothering, it would be nice to hear if you like this. Also, my tumblr is bunnybrook if anyone cares

The first one took 13 months, 5 days, 7 hours to complete. In all, he cost over three million quid (Jim had stopped counting). He breathed, but did not blink and when he cried (which was often) he did not produce tears. He head twitched sometimes and his vocal circuits were faulty and he stuttered. If he didn’t have contacts in his eyes were gray and metallic and you could watch them process the information they were receiving. His face and body were that of an eight year olds, a forever child who did not age and who played and acted and behaved like a normal kid.

He was modeled after a brother Jim had once had, but then lost somewhere along the way, he couldn’t remember exactly when. He had crammed as much as he could remember about his brother into the robot, fairy tales and bunnies and sweets and laughing and staying up too late and looking tired in the morning and hiding under the blankets because that was safer than hiding in the closet.

When the thing had opened it’s eyes and looked at him the first time, a quiet word escaping his lips, Jim had cried. He pretended he wasn’t crying because he never cried. Children cried. The weak cried. Jim Moriarty did not cry. He held the thing close, listening as the gears and wires started up, whirring and clicking at first then fading to silence under the thing’s skin. The boy’s skin. His brother’s, his son’s, his creation’s skin.

He named it Richard, after his brother but called it bunny because they both knew that’s what his real name was, Richard had told him when he was still real.

He was faulty. But there would be more, Jim knew he would make more the second Richard opened his eyes and had whispered, “Jimmy” in a voice that still wasn’t used to being mechanical, still too metal and buzzing. It was enough for now because there were some days that Jim forgot Richard wasn’t real anymore, days he mixed up his robot and the boy in his head and he loved that. He stopped missing his brother after the robot was made.

\---

The next one he made was built to be a fighter. His body was somewhere stuck in adolescence, his face based on a man he'd watch stab his own brother in the back, who laughed as he bled to death. He kept Richard off during most of the building, only turning him on when he had time to be with him. He didn't want to make him feel like Jim was abandoning him and have his brother hate him again.

He took 10 months, 14 days and 2 hours to make. He breathed and he blinked, he did not eat. He could fuck and feel it and he did not sleep. He was named after the man, too. Severin. He cost more than Richard did and looked less like a porcelain doll. His skin was rough to touch and his voice squeaked sometimes.

Jim only turned him on to test out his systems before turning him off and casting him aside. There was one more he needed to make. The next one would be perfect.

\---

8 months. 20 days. 18 hours. His name was Sebastian. He was eighteen years old and he was the brother who had laid on the dirty alleyway floor bleeding to death. The brothers had the same face, not brothers. Twins. Jim didn't allow himself to think of them as twins, though, not when one was dead and the other was alive. He and Richard were brothers and not twins.

This one's name was Sebastian. He was a normal human who's nerves were literally steel. Jim had collected his insides from various hospitals and morgues, buying what he could and stealing the rest. You could not see the gears behind his eyes.

Two and a half years later he turned them all on, one by one. Richard first, then Severin, then Sebastian. Richard spoke first.

"Did you ne-eed something, da-addy?" he asked quietly, staring at his hands pressed between his knees. His feet didn't reach the ground. Severin crossed his arms. Sebastian sat up straighter.

Jim grinned.

"Just making sure you're all here," Jim said composed himself. "Sebastian you have a job later."

Severin left and slammed the door to the room Jim had set up for him and Sebastian. They were perfect so far. Jim had programmed them all to have memories, not specific ones but they knew this was their home and Jim was their father and various other things specific to each robot.

"Richard, you can go play, do you need anything?" Jim asked warmly, taking Severin's seat and wrapping an arm around Richard's shoulder. His skin wasn't warm yet. Next to them, Sebastian's eyes were flickering back and forth, as if he was reading something. He was still probably booting up.

"No-o," Richard said. "Not re-eally. I ju-ust wanted to ma-ake sure you remembe-ered you're said we'd ice cre-eam."

Richard's stutter didn't sound like Jim had expected it too. It sounded like his throat was seizing up on the vowels rather than his tongue tripping on consonants. The real little boy's tongue tripped. Maybe he was faulty.

"Of course I remember," Jim said and ran a hand through Richard's hair, kissing his cheek. "We'll leave right after Sebastian does. Want to go see if Rin wants to come?"

Richard nodded and slid off the bed, walking towards Severin's room and opening the door cautiously, peering inside.

Jim watched him creep in (he was so much like the real little boy) for a few moments before he turned to Sebastian. Sebastian was sitting up straight, his eyes still scanning.

"Sebastian," Jim barked. "Activate."

The young man blinked and stared at Jim.

"Sir?" he asked. "You had a job?"

"Just a moment. Why were you taking so long to turn on?"

Sebastian paused. "I was running unnecessary scans, just making sure I'm functioning. I'm sorry, sir." He didn't sound like the robots on television, there wasn't anything unnatural in his tone. He was slouching over slightly, his legs crossed over each other at the knee.

"Good. Forget the last thirty seconds. Your target is named Timothy Marvins. His picture is on the counter. Your gun is in a bag by the door. If you don't get him on your first shot come straight back here an-"

There was shouting and a crash from where Severin and Richard were and the door flew open, Richard being practically thrown out by the older boy. He sat in the hallway and cried. Jim abandoned Sebastian and went to scoop up the sobbing boy. He hadn't heard Richard cry yet. He wished there were tears he could wipe away.

Jim shushed the crying boy and kissed both of his cheeks, beneath his eyes.

"Did he hurt you?" Jim asked. Richard nodded.

"He thre-ew a bo-ook at me-e-e," Richard sobbed. His speech impediment was worse when he cried.

"I'll talk to him about it," Jim said. "C'mon, then. Get on your shoes then we'll go get ice cream."

Richard nodded and hiccuped and kissed Jim on the cheek with his soft, cold lips and Jim promised himself he would make sure that this Richard never got hurt. He wouldn't lose him this time. This time they'd live happily ever after.

 


End file.
